


Happy Beginnings

by afteriwake



Series: Lingering Winter [19]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-16
Updated: 2012-10-16
Packaged: 2017-11-16 11:30:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/538960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tatsuki makes a decision about what to do, one that pleases Ichigo very much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Beginnings

“I want to be a shinigami.”

Ichigo turned to look at Tatsuki, who was sitting on the ground next to him. “Why?” he asked, leaning back and resting on his elbows. They had taken over Karin’s usual quiet spot since she had left to become a shinigami herself. She said it was because she was bored and it was something to do, but Ichigo had suspected it had more to do with the fact that she would be living in the same general area that her boyfriend was living. Still, Ichigo got to see her more, so he was thankful for that.

“Kind of the same reasons Karin did, because I’m bored and it’s something to do,” she said, reaching over for the jug of water they’d brought along with the food Yuzu had made them. “I like most of your family, but…well, Ganju irritates the hell out of me.”

Ichigo grinned slightly. “So, really, you want to be a shinigami because it will get you away from him.”

“Yeah, a little,” she said with a smile of her own.

“Well, if you can make it through I’ll make sure you’re in my division,” he said. “At least that way…”

“What?” she asked, taking a drink of water.

“I don’t know,” he said, sitting up again and looking at her. “I’ve spent more time here in the last six months than I did before you got here. I’m getting used to being around you a lot. And…I think you’d listen to me.”

“I’ll listen to you, Ichigo, but I don’t know if I’d follow your orders,” she said. “I mean, I know I can’t become a Captain, or even a Lieutenant, but it might be better if I was under someone else. That way we can still be friends, you know?”

He thought about it a moment and then nodded. “You’re right. We’d fight so much if I had to boss you around all the time.”

“Exactly,” she said with a grin. “I could always join Hitsugaya’s squad. He seems like someone I could deal with.”

Ichigo laughed. “No, you wouldn’t like it there, trust me. He’s a good guy, but…not someone you’d like to have in charge of you.” He thought for a moment. “There’s always Shunsui’s squad, or Hisagi’s. I think you might like to fight a little too much for Hisagi’s division, though.”

“I haven’t met either of them, so I wouldn’t know,” she said, putting the jug down and lying on her back. “Can I meet them soon?”

“If you’re really serious about becoming a shinigami, you’ll meet them soon enough. All of the Captains and some of the Lieutenants have been pressed into duty as teachers. Even me.”

Tatsuki laughed. “You? A teacher? Exactly what do you teach?”

He was quiet for a moment. “Self defense.”

“Really?” she asked, surprised. 

“Dad wants me to show the students how to achieve shikai, but they’ll need to be in the academy for a while before they get their zanpakatou, so I’m teaching that for now. Most of the kids we’ve got can fight, but they can’t really protect themselves well. That’s what I’m trying to teach them.” He sighed. “We’re still trying to figure out how long they need to study, and what they need to study, and who can teach it…it’s a big mess right now.”

“Is Rukia going to teach anything?”

He nodded. “Rukia and Hinamori are going to teach kidou. Rukia will cover the basics, and Hinamori will do some of the more advanced stuff. And if there’s anyone who’s really good at it, Hachi will pick up their training there and probably put them in the kidou corps after they graduate.”

“I don’t think I’d be any good at that,” she said.

“I don’t know. You were always good at memorizing stuff.” He leaned over and looked at her. “I think you’d do really well with all the classes and stuff.”

“Don’t you think I’m too old?” she said.

He shook his head. “I don’t think you’re too old. Just because a bunch of the students are kids doesn’t mean they all are.” She started to sit up and he moved away, but was still close to her. “If you really want to do it, you’ve got my complete support.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He looked at her closely for a moment, and then looked away. “I should go.”

“Wait a second,” she said. “Why?”

“If you want to be a shinigami, then…never mind.”

“Never mind _what_ , Ichigo?” she asked, beginning to get frustrated.

He looked at her again. “If you want to be a shinigami then that means I’ll have to teach you. And if I have to teach you then I probably shouldn’t…” He took a deep breath. “KissyoulikeIwantto.”

She blinked and her jaw dropped open. “You…you want to…?”

Ichigo nodded. “Yeah. Stupid idea, ri—“ Whatever he was going to say got cut off as Tatsuki leaned forward and kissed him. He was surprised for a moment, and then moved his hand over to her back and pulled her closer. She leaned into him until she had him on his back, and he put both hands on her back and ran them along her spine. After a moment she pulled away and he grinned at her. “I do stupid stuff all the time,” he said.

“Hey, _I_ kissed _you_ ,” she said with a grin on her face, bracing herself with her hands and leaning forward slightly. “You didn’t do anything stupid this time.”

“I kissed you back,” he said, continuing to run his hands up and down her back. “That’s kind of stupid.”

“Think anyone would care if I’m dating a teacher?” she said.

“Probably. There would be gossip.” He frowned slightly. “We could keep it a secret.”

“That would get hard after a while,” she said with a sigh. She moved again so she was laying down next to him. He put his arms around her and held her close. “Wait a second. Isn’t Hitsugaya teaching classes, too?”

“Yeah,” Ichigo said slowly, and then it dawned on him. “And Karin’s in one of them.”

“So, we just have to let everyone know before I go and join the Academy, and maybe it will go more smoothly.”

“Maybe.” He shut his eyes. “I don’t really care if people talk.”

“I don’t either,” she said. “I…you make me happy, Ichigo. I didn’t think I’d feel happy, even with Karin and Yuzu around, because my old life was over. But you’re here, and you make me feel better. I look forward to seeing you. And when you’re not here, I miss you.”

“I kind of feel the same way,” he said.

“If Orihime were here she’d be so excited,” Tatsuki said, smiling. “She was always convinced that I liked you, even when you stopped visiting so much. And now, she’d see she was right.”

“So you’ve liked me for a while?” he asked.

“I realized it around the time I shoved your head through a window back before you rescued Orihime,” she said. “I was so pissed that you were keeping secrets from me. I thought I meant more to you than that, and then I realized I _wanted_ to mean more to you than that.”

“That was almost eight years ago, I think. Eight or nine,” he said in a voice slightly tinged with awe.

“Yeah, I know.” She sat up slightly, resting on her elbow and looking over him. “When did you start feeling this way towards me?”

“About the time Orihime got together with Ishida, and I started spending less time with them when I would visit and more time with you. That’s part of the reason I stopped visiting so much. It was kind of like torture. You were there, and I was here, and nothing except you dying could change that.”

“So…maybe there was some good that came out of that big fight that destroyed everything,” she said with a small smile.

“Yeah, there was something good that came out of it,” he said, reaching up to touch her face. “Yuzu’s going to be thrilled when she finds out.”

She laughed. “She’s practically been playing matchmaker, hasn’t she?”

He grinned, nodding slightly. “Yeah, she has. I think she wants everyone to have a happy ending sometimes. Or at least the two of us.”

“This is a happy beginning, more than a happy ending,” she pointed out.

“Same idea, though.” He let go of her face and started to sit up. She moved out of the way and he looked around. “It’s getting cloudy. We should probably head back in case it starts to rain.”

“Good idea,” she said with a nod, getting up. They busied themselves with packing things away and when they were done he reached over and took her free hand in his. She grinned at him and grasped it tight as the two of them walked away into a new future that lay bright ahead of them.


End file.
